A Ghost of the Past
by MaryOku
Summary: Hitomi enters the old house to find a portal to a destiny unknown. Van... Sonya...and the house across the field.... tied in somehow. Who sent her there and why? What is the mysterious crying that she's hearing? How will she get home? Read and find


Kon'wa minna-san!  
Newbie writer on the prowl here! :)  
ONEGAI???? E-mail me? *pouts absurdly*  
  
Disclaimers: Well we all know *I* don't own Tenkuu no Escaflowne.  
Meaning that someone else owns it, right?  
Then that would have to be: Sunrise, TV Tokyo/Bandai  
Entertainment, Inc./Egan Loo. Copyright (c) 1996-2000   
Creators (diff aspects): Shoji Kawamori, Aki Katsu, and Hajime Yadate.  
  
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Title: A Ghost of the Past  
Part 1/?  
Author: ~*Mary*Oku*~  
E-mail: tsukino_hitomi@yahoo.com or mary_oku@hotmail.com  
Website: www.geocities.com/tsukino_hitomi  
MSN: mary_oku@hotmail.com  
AIM: tsukinomaryo  
Date: January 20, 2001 - February 9, 2001  
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A young woman, 18 years of age ran through the old house, attempting  
to get away from... whatever it was chasing her. She had short brown  
hair and emerald eyes.  
  
"It's a ghost... it just has to be." She looked around her,   
"possibly someone who had suddenly died in the fire..." she said to   
herself. Surely this ghost was friendly... but she still ran for her  
life, scared of what she may find in the charred dwelling.  
  
She looked for the exit, wanting to escape. Her eyes fell on a  
portrait. It was nearly as tall as she was, and was hung close to  
the ground. The bottom half of the painting had decayed, and there was  
a thick layer of dust on the upper portion. Despite her terror,  
Hitomi had the impulse to brush the dust off.  
  
"Oh my!"  
  
The portrait was of a person. A young man, messy hair that wouldn't  
stay down. Roguish blue eyes, with a hint of mystery in them.  
Hitomi gasped, he seemed to be staring down at her, but that could  
have been a trick of the light, or the angle of the picture. By  
taking off more dust, she saw the beginning of a peculiar hat, and the  
start of brown curly locks.  
  
"I guess that was someone he knew, his sister, or perhaps his wife."  
  
The two seemed to be under a weeping willow tree. Hitomi's mind  
reeled for a second.  
  
"There's a weeping willow tree in the back field of this house..."  
There were other similarities too, the fence, and the dark shadow  
of the house across the field.  
  
"Could they be from the past of this house?"  
  
There was a sudden creaking and groaning from below her. She ran  
up the stairs, trying to escape whatever it was in the house. Then   
there were three loud bangs. One was of the door slamming shut, the  
two others were distinctly a gunshot and of someone hitting the ground.  
  
"What's happening?!" she jumped up and ran out the room, looking  
for the exit again. She tried to open the doors, but they were locked.  
The sounds were getting closer and louder. There was a maniacal  
laughter resounding throughout the room. Then, she saw it, an open  
window!  
  
"Perfect!!!" Hitomi sprinted over to it, but as she got closer,  
she remembered that she was in the attic, the fourth floor. But  
it was too late to stop now, the floor was rushing under her, she  
tripped on the carpet and flew headlong through the window.  
  
Fearing the worst, she closed her eyes and prayed that she wouldn't  
die. It wouldn't be long now, till she would leave this world.  
  
"Oh no!!!!" she screamed, as she flew out through the window and  
felt the whoosh of the air going around her, as she crept closer to the  
ground...? She hadn't felt any pain course through her body, she   
didn't feel as if she had hit anything at all. Was this what it felt  
like to be dead? Hitomi pinched herself, hard.  
  
"Yeow!!!" So there was still feeing after death... She looked at  
her surroundings, a field? "Is this Heaven?" Well, it wasn't  
exactly her 'picture' of Heaven. Maybe she wasn't in Heaven, but  
surely, she wouldn't be ... in the other place. Then where was she?  
Purgatory? After these thoughts had run through her mind, she thought  
it best to investigate further.  
  
Hitomi attempted to rise, and that was when she noticed what she  
was wearing. She brought her now gloved hand to her skirt.  
  
"A petticoat?!" Not only that, she had on a voluminous skirt. The  
whole dress was a lavender pink. She blushed, what was this thing?  
She had on ordinary blue jeans and a white shirt and a light pink  
vest before. "Does this mean that I'm unconscious? Or that I'm  
dreaming?" The pinch that she had given herself earlier told her  
that she was neither.  
  
There were endless ruffles and ribbons all over the garments.  
"Ugh!" How had she suddenly come to wear this...thing?! She heard  
a light chuckle behind her. She turned around to face whoever it  
was. "Excuse me! What do you think..." her words died on her lips  
when she faced the young man. "YOU?!" He looked at her, puzzled.  
  
"Have we met before?" he asked her. She looked at him, stunned.  
He was the young man from the portrait. But at this moment, instead  
of a prestigious costume, he wore a loose white shirt, and black  
riding pants.  
  
"Oh... sorry... I thought you were someone I knew. I guess you  
aren't." The man blushed.  
  
"That's all right, I guess I should introduce myself to you then,  
my name is Van Fanel." Hitomi blushed, Van was staring down at her,  
with intense eyes.  
  
"Mr. Fanel, my name is Hitomi Kanzaki. You can call me Hitomi if  
you like." He smiled at her, and helped her to her feet.  
  
"In that case, call me Van." He smiled warmly at her.  
  
"All right, Van." Van offered Hitomi his arm, and she put her own  
through his. He led her past the weeping willow and towards a familiar  
ramshackle house, that was no longer worn down, but gleamed in the  
sunlight, like new.  
  
"Is this where you live, Van?" She asked timidly. There was a  
strange look on his eyes, one of, indifference.  
  
"At times..." Hitomi was confused by his answer, but smiled up at  
him.  
  
"Well, it is beautiful..." He nodded at her in agreement. They  
walked slowly in silence to this wondrous home. As they came  
closer, she recognized it as the house that she had been in.  
This was the house that had somehow brought her to this strange   
reality. For now Hitomi was certain that she was not dead,  
but somehow she had travelled through the dark recesses of  
time. Van had to be from the past, there was proof, but  
why was she here?  
  
"Hitomi? Where are you staying right now?" She blanched,  
how was she going to explain herself?  
  
"I'm not staying anywhere at the moment..."  
  
"Then I insist that you stay in one of the guest rooms here.  
My sister, Sonya Yamato will help you get settled in." Hitomi  
was going to protest, but he shushed her. "A beautiful young  
woman, such as yourself, shouldn't be out alone, especially  
after dark." He thought that she was beautiful? This caused  
Hitomi's face to redden more.  
  
"Thank you...Van..." He opened the door, and called out.  
  
"Sonya!! Hello?" A rush of footsteps was heard and a small voice  
answered.  
  
"Van!!! You're back early!" A little tow-headed girl came out  
of the darkness. Her eyes were a soft brown, she seemed to be about  
fourteen years old. The girl rushed at Van, nearly knocking him down.  
Finally, Sonya noticed Hitomi. "Who's that?" she asked innocently.  
Sonya wore a puffed up pale blue dress. She looked like a little  
angel.  
  
"Her name is Hitomi Kanzaki. She's a visitor around these parts,  
and I'm sure that the both of you will get along fine. How about you  
show her to the guest room next to yours?" Sonya nodded, and motioned  
Hitomi to her.  
  
"Good afternoon Ms. Kanzaki."  
  
"Please, just call me Hitomi." The two girls smiled at each other,  
an understanding.  
  
"All right then, Hitomi. And you may call me Sonya." Hitomi  
followed her up the stairs, with Van taking up the rear. She turned  
to him.  
  
"How long have you known each other?" Van scratched his head and  
thought about it.  
  
"Ever since she was a little baby. We found her on our doorstep  
one night, the weird thing was that... well, she seemed to glow."  
Hitomi's eyes widend. Sonya looked back at them, smiling.  
  
"You know, if you two want to talk about me, you could ask me some  
questions too." Hitomi and Van's mouths nearly dropped in embarassment.  
"Honestly!" Sonya's eyes looked at them in merriment. "Really! You  
two! I'm just joking with you. I don't mind that Van is talking  
about my... rather strange entrance into his family."  
  
They reached the top of the stairs and walked to the end of the  
hallway.  
  
"This is to be your room Hitomi." Van said. He pointed to a door  
across from it. "And this is Sonya's."  
  
It was then that Hitomi realized that she had nothing to wear for  
the night, so how would she live here for more than this night?  
As luck would have it, Sonya saw the dilemma.  
  
"Van?"  
  
"Yes?" he replied, turning to Sonya.  
  
"Why don't you go and get supper ready?" she suggested. Van took  
the hint, and nodded.  
  
"Oh yeah!! Sure thing sis!" Hitomi looked up in surprise, did she  
hear right? Sonya gave Van a sort of warning look, making him run hastily  
back down the stairwell.  
  
"I suppose that you have nothing to wear for the night?" she asked  
Hitomi.  
  
"No, I'm afraid I don't." Sonya guided Hitomi into the guestroom.  
She struck a match, and lit a candle she had taken from the hall. The  
tow-headed girl glided across the room until it was ablze with   
lamplight. Across from the door was a gigantic bed.  
  
"Oh my!" Hitomi exclaimed. "I'm expected to sleep in that big   
thing?!" She was never before accustomed to such luxuries.  
  
  
"After we have supped, I shall show you the nightgowns. I'm sure  
that one will be your size. And it becomes a bit drafty at night,  
so we'll lock the windows and light the fire." Hitomi nodded numbly.  
Sonya's mannerism definitely belonged in this time period. It all  
fit in, the dress... the house... everything. This house was built  
in the 1800's too... Did that mean that Van and his sister noticed the  
differences with her actions? She tried to remember to act "lady-like"   
as the time period called upon.  
  
A distant bell sounded from below, indicating that their supper was  
ready. The dining room was impressive. Three chandaliers, filled with  
dozens of candles. The little flames from the candles bounced, and  
were reflected by the small crystal beads that hung from the mainframes  
of each chandalier. It created a twilight affect along the whole  
length of the room. Hitomi entered the room with a bit of hesitation,  
not wishing to break such a wonder.  
  
"It's all right Hitomi, you can go inside." Sonya said behind her.  
They laughed, what tension was left between them was released.  
  
"What's taking you two so long? I didn't do anything to the food,  
don't worry. And I'm sure that it can't be that bad!" Van chuckled.  
So, the two young ladies entered the room. Van, very much the  
gentleman, seated them down. He uncovered the main course.  
  
"Yummm..." Hitomi breathed in the scent. How did he come up with  
this delicacy so quickly? They said the Lord's grace and began to sup.  
  
Once all remaining dishes were cleared, they sat back in their  
seats, to relax.  
  
"Van? Thank you for such a delicious meal. I have a few questions."  
He looked at her for a second, and nodded his head. "Well, I was  
wondering, how could you have made such a wondrous meal in under an  
hour?"  
  
"I don't think I should tell you that, Hitomi, chef's secret." she  
she shrugged and laughed, what a strange man he was!  
  
"What is this place called?" Sonya and Van glanced at each other, and   
directly at Hitomi.  
  
"We call it, Eye of the Dragon King." There was something strange  
about that name, Hitomi just couldn't place it.  
  
"Do you know what that name can be translated into?" Van  
asked her, she shook her head, no. "It is also called,  
'Hitomi no Ryuujin."   
  
This caused Hitomi to breath in sharply. Did she hear right? She  
Stared off into the wall, watching the beams of light flicker and jump  
All over the place. Her thoughts were all muddled up, she had to think  
clearly. Hitomi rose out of her seat, and breathed in, then out.  
  
"Hitomi? What's the matter?" asked Van, nervously. There was a  
strange expression on her face. Sonya, who had sat across Hitomi,  
looked at her now, and knew her friend was going to faint.  
  
"Van, be ready to catch her." She commanded. He was puzzled,   
but he obeyed her, without question. Almost instantly, Hitomi  
started to reel towards the ground. With reflexes as quick  
as a feline, Van caught her before she had hurt herself.  
  
It was a three hours later when Hitomi came to. She was in her room,  
already in a frilly pink nightgown, that she knew she didn't own or had  
seen in her life. The door on the far side of the room swung open,  
and certain things came back to her. She had somehow travelled to the  
1800s!  
  
"Hello Hitomi! I'm glad to see that you're finally awake. You  
gave my brother and I quite a scare, you know." Hitomi looked at  
Sonya for a brief moment, what did she mean? She thought back,  
Van had said something. The name of the property was, "Eye of the  
Dragon King..." no, it was... "Hitomi no Ryuujin." She giggled,  
so what if the name of the place had her first name?! It was  
all just a coincidence!  
  
When Hitomi looked up from her thoughts, Sora was gone, and  
in her place was Van.  
  
"Well, well... so our Sleeping Beauty is awake." he said as he  
strode towards her bed. Hitomi blushed in the glow of the firelight,  
he thought she was beautiful?  
  
"Hello again, Van. Where did Sora run off to?" she asked him. Their  
eyes met for a moment, electricity pumping and charging them. It rushed  
through them like a fire. Both of them looked away from the other,  
embarassed. "...where did she go?" Hitomi repeated, breaking away from  
the sudden rush of emotions.  
  
"What? I'm sorry... I don't believe I heard you correctly." he  
said to her, apologetically.  
  
"I asked you, where Sonya had gone to."  
  
"She went straight to bed after she had gotten you settled into the  
room and attire." Hitomi was taken aback, but Sonya had been right   
*there* a few minutes ago.  
  
"Really? I had a visit from her a few minutes past." Van looked  
at her strangely. He wondered how much she knew or had guessed.  
  
"How strange. Well, perhaps, I shall speak with her in the morning."  
He walked towards the fireplace and added a log. The flames grew higher.  
Van turned back towards Hitomi, "I wish you a goodnight's sleep."  
  
"Till tomorrow, Lord Van." she whispered as she fell back asleep.  
  
~*~  
  
As it reached morning, Ryuujin no Hitomi seemed a magical place. The   
birds sang outside. The early morning mist shrouded the grounds, like  
a veil of mystery. The wind played through the trees, and the light was  
barely noticeable.  
  
From the house, only one person had awoken. Hitomi. She had slept  
well that night, but something had told her to wake up.  
  
"What am I doing up at this ungodly hour. Van and Sonya are still  
in their beds, albeit, warm too." Hitomi shivered, and hugged herself  
tightly. She reached for the robe that hung close-by. Rushing to get  
outside, she put on a pair of slippers that were under the bed, and  
carefully walked down the stair case.  
  
When she reached the bottom, she felt a slight chill run over her. There  
was no breeze, and yet, she felt like someone was watching her, despite  
the calm around the house.  
  
Hitomi opened the door, and stepped out onto the back porch. She gazed   
out into the yard, and breathed in the scent of the air. It was cold and   
hard, but the smell was sweet. She looked across the field, and could make  
out the weeping willow in the distance, she hadn't realized how far it had  
been, nor how large it seemed. Its shadow was immense, and loomed over  
the distance, like a dragon.  
  
It seemed like a dragon, especially in the soft glow from the sun in the  
background. She narrowed her eyes, and peered at the shape of the tree  
trunk. She gasped, surprised. There, on the tree trunk, was the shape  
of a dragon. The eyes, snout and ears, were the only aspects you could  
make out, but it looked like a dragon, nonetheless. It's mouth was open,  
as if it could swallow the world whole.  
  
A figure moved from the other side of the tree, dark, and unseemingly.  
Hitomi could not make out the person, but she knew, for certain, that  
whoever it was, was watching her every move. She tried desparately to  
make out the face of the person, but the stranger was covered in a shadow.  
The person turned their head at an angle, Hitomi could almost make out  
something... but the wind whipped her long hair about her face.  
  
She reached up and sweeped her hair out of the way. When she finally  
had the tree and the spot where the person stood in focus, the stranger  
had disappeared. All of a sudden, a resonante wailing and sobbing filled  
her ears. She covered them desparately, trying to shut the noise out. What  
was happening to her?  
  
  
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I didn't want to give this away, but... in case no one noticed,  
I mentioned that Hitomi had SHORT brown hair in the beginning...  
and in the last sentence of the second last paragraph, I said that  
she had LONG hair.... :) There are reasons for this to happen, I just  
can't give them away yet... of course!   
  
Anyone wonder where the crying is coming from??? The next chapter  
MIGHT be the last one, but then again, knowing me, it might not...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....  
  
Please! Tell me what you think of this fanfic! E-mail me or Review! 


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